The San Francisco 49ers have a brilliant young wide receiver duo in Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and for as long as George Kittle remains out, you're likely starting both in your Fantasy Football lineup as high-upside No. 3 receivers or flexes. But we still have plenty to learn about both, including whether either will be relevant if and when Kittle returns. Let's start with what we know.
Samuel is a bit of a unicorn. As a rookie in 2019, he turned 81 targets into 802 yards and three touchdowns while adding another 159 yards and three scores in the rushing game. He missed the start of this season due to injury and got off to a slow start, but exploded in Week 12 with 11 catches for 133 yards. It was Samuel's third enormous game in the past two years, and all have come without Kittle.
Aiyuk actually has better pedigree as a first-round pick, and in eight games this season he's produced 507 total yards and five touchdowns. Like Samuel in 2019, a chunk of that came on a handful of running plays, but he also had 21-281-2 on 31 targets in his final three games before going on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. His biggest games, of course, also came mostly without Kittle.
In Week 13 we'll see Samuel and Aiyuk on the field without Kittle for the first time. I'm projecting 20% of the target share for each, which is possible when Kittle isn't playing. But one of them will have to clearly take the reins as the No. 1 wide receiver if they want to be the No. 2 option when Kittle is healthy, and it sounds like Kittle is hoping to return before the end of the Fantasy playoffs. Still, it should go without saying, but if either of these receivers are on the waiver wire in your league you should go pick them up. There's no guarantee Kittle is back in 2020.
More Week 13 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Trade Values Chart | FFT Newsletter | RB Preview | QB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Waiver Wire | Panic About Struggling Stars? | Winners and Losers | Believe It Or Not
Week 13 WR Preview
Who's Out
The following players are being projected as out for Week 13:
Numbers to Know
- 10 -- Targets for Mike Williams in three full games with Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler.
- 12.9 -- Yards after catch per reception for Deebo Samuel. He's a unicorn.
- 3.6 -- A.J. Brown has broken a tackle every 3.6 receptions, the best rate in the league.
- 45.9% -- Nearly half of Deshaun Watson's passes this season have gone to players who won't play for the Texans in Week 13.
- 12.7 -- Curtis Samuel has scored at least 12.7 PPR Fantasy points in four of his past five games. With D.J. Moore injured, Samuel is worth holding through his bye.
Matchups that matter
Waiver Wire Targets
The first three quarters may be nerve wracking, but Patrick should at the very least produce flex-worthy numbers in garbage time against the Chiefs. Before last week, he had produced double digit Fantasy points in his past three games and six of his past seven.
| ||||||||
I was afraid Perriman would disappear when Sam Darnold came back, but he didn't. In Week 13 he gets a good matchup against a bad Raiders defense.
| ||||||||
I'm not ready to start Johnson yet, but he did look pretty great in Week 12, and one more game like that could change my mind.
| ||||||||
DFS Plays
We have a top 10 wide receiver facing a mediocre defense, and Robinson is priced like an average No. 2. Yes, his quarterback is bad. It has been that way for the entirety of his career, and he's still been very good for the majority of the time he's been healthy.
| ||||||||||||
With Robinson and Brandin Cooks in a similar price range, I would expect Landry's roster rate to be below 10%. It shouldn't be with his target share and Fantasy matchup. As long as the weather is good, I'd expect double-digit targets and 15-plus PPR points from Landry.
| ||||||||||||
